Turkish Tourists Flock to Greek Islands Using Express Visas
Source: Balkan Insight
Pythagoreio, a village on the Greek island of Samos in the north Aegean, owes its name to the famous Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras.
But that’s not the main reason why Turkey couple Senem, 38, an economic academic, and Guray 37, a lawyer, chose it for their summer getaway.
“Greece is very similar to Turkey, especially the parts that we like about Turkey,” said Guray, adding also that it’s now cheaper than Turkey.
“Travelling to Samos, although you have to pay for a visa and the ferry, and although euros are more expensive than Turkish lira [1 euro equals 37.99 lira], it is still cheaper here than in Turkey,” he told BIRN.
Experts say Turkey’s failure to control the foreign exchange rates and sky-high inflation have seriously damaged price stability in the country.
One consequence of that is that the Turkish tourism sector, like other sectors in the country, has become expensive compared to Greece.
The price differential has prompted many Turks to take vacations this year in Greece, using the “territorially limited validity visa” scheme announced in December 2023 within the framework of the 5th Greece-Turkey Cooperation Council in Athens.
The original article: belongs to Balkan Insight .
